I'm popularizing ecology in the Pokémon world.

The department head's underhanded tactics might be troublesome for Xiao Wenyu, but Chen Mu had long since dismissed them as trivial matters.

Not to mention that he has already received an invitation from Lijia and can switch jobs to Yuhong University at any time, the department head is still unaware of this.

As for him personally, he doesn't seem to care about titles and ranks like the original owner did.

He wouldn't mind being an associate professor for life.

Because truly powerful people don't need empty titles to flaunt their achievements.

Just like Crimson no longer needs to use championships to prove its strength.

On the contrary, the league needs red to enhance the value of the championship!

Therefore, Chen Mu simply and calmly advised Xiao Wenyu.

"It's okay. Writing good papers and doing good research are more important than anything else. There's no need to worry about the professional title assessment."

Besides, even if the department head wanted to play dirty tricks, I might not be afraid.

Kirlia has been holding back a lot of energy lately.

After leaving the forest, every time Chen Mu woke up, he would see Kirulian waiting by his bedside.

"Up so early again today? Are you in a rush to start your day's workout?"

He always asks that.

She didn't notice at all that her bedding always had a faint rose fragrance compared to before she fell asleep.

Kirulian felt guilty and afraid of being exposed, so she could only respond with great energy for several days in a row.

"Hoo! Training!"

So over the past few days, whether in Viridian City or back in Vermilion City, Chen Mu has been very active in helping Kirlia with her training.

For some reason, Chen Mu always felt that Kirulian seemed to be in a worse mood the more they trained.

He thought that finding an opportunity for Kirlia to vent her frustrations through a satisfying battle might be a good idea.

Unexpectedly, some things really do come true.

A few days later, Chen Muzhen stumbled upon such an opportunity.

"They need me to assist in the combat class? Why? Aren't there any teaching assistants in the department?"

He first politely inquired of the counselor who had come to relay the message.

The visitor was also in a difficult position. "I'm so sorry, Professor Chen, but two of my teaching assistants have recently taken leave to go back to their hometowns to get married."

"And you're very popular among the students right now; everyone's hoping you can come and help demonstrate the tactics."

Chen Mu smiled.

He was too lazy to even call out this lame excuse.

But it didn't matter; he was just looking forward to seeing what other tricks the department head could pull.

Some people are always willing to use their little bit of power to make things difficult for others to the greatest extent possible.

When Chen Mu arrived at the dedicated combat classroom in the gymnasium, he was surprised to find that there were a lot of students in the class.

After making a few inquiries, Chen Mu learned that this was an elective course, which was attended not only by students from their School of Environmental Science and Ecology, but also by students from other departments and majors.

Many students even came specifically because of his reputation, enrolling in his classes because of Chen Mu's name.

"When did I take over this class?" he couldn't help but ask.

The department counselor who brought him here gave a helpless, bitter smile. "It's the director's idea. He said that you're only supervising a few graduates and not teaching any courses. Your workload is too light. If we don't assign you some courses, the other professors might have something to say."

"Didn't I finish teaching all my classes in the first semester? Why didn't he say this when he filled my schedule with classes last semester?"

"I...I'm not sure, Professor Chen."

Chen Mu waved his hand and didn't make things difficult for the poor counselor anymore.

Upon entering the venue, the surrounding students immediately erupted in enthusiastic cheers.

These innocent and naive college students were unaware of the complexities behind the class; they were simply happy to see Chen Mu.

"Teacher Chen is here!"

"Teacher Chen, I'm your fan!"

"Teacher Chen, what did you teach us today?"

These students with eager eyes were innocent, which is why Chen Mu, knowing he was being targeted, did not turn around and leave on the spot.

The infighting among teachers should not affect students seeking knowledge; this is the bottom line he believes in as a teacher.

Upon arriving at the center of the arena, Chen Mu found himself facing a combat instructor he did not recognize.

He looked to be in his forties, strong and muscular, with broad shoulders and a thick waist, and seemed to have made considerable achievements in the field of unlimited combat.

"Teacher Chen, I've heard so much about you. It's a bit of a pity that due to class constraints, I can't learn from you about the techniques of unlimited combat today."

The other party reached out their hand, but their words were ambiguous, revealing neither genuine regret nor veiled hostility.

Chen Mu smiled faintly and reached out to hold it without any concern.

"Nice to meet you, Professor Kitamura. What will we be learning in today's lesson?"

The nameplate on the other person's chest reads: Kitamura Yu.

"Doesn't Teacher Chen know?"

"I only found out a few minutes ago that I had taken this elective course."

Kitamura Yu couldn't help but show a strange expression.

But he didn't say anything more, and just answered as usual.

"In this lesson, we mainly teach students the rules of doubles matches. We don't prohibit the use of props, but we restrict rotation. Does Teacher Chen have any questions?"

In this world, Pokémon battles are actually a type of competition, not a single competition. They have many different rules, which lead to different battle modes.

Just like badminton is divided into men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, and mixed doubles.

Pokémon battles are also divided into several different categories.

Common types include 63 singles, 66 singles, regular doubles, 64 doubles, and team matches.

63 Singles refers to a battle rule where six Pokémon are registered before the match, but only three are used in the battle. Each side can only field one Pokémon in each round, and the Pokémon can be rotated.

Correspondingly, 64 doubles refers to registering six Pokémon, using only four, and requiring each player to field two Pokémon simultaneously in each round of battle.

These two rules are most common in major leagues.

However, in amateur and community battles, since it is difficult for players to gather six Pokémon, the simplified doubles rules are generally used more often.

This is the so-called standard doubles rule—that is, two Pokémon are on the field at a time. If rotation is not allowed, an additional reserve Pokémon is added. If rotation is restricted, the two Pokémon battle until the end, and the winner is determined in one match.

The reason why doubles are more popular is because, as is well known, Pokémon have type advantages and disadvantages.

A singles match without rotation would simply become a game of rock-paper-scissors, and the outcome would be basically decided the moment the Pokémon was revealed.

Especially in the amateur stage, Pokémon simply don't have a large enough move pool to counter opponents whose types are super effective against them.

Therefore, amateur tournaments almost exclusively consist of doubles matches.

From this perspective, this lesson is actually quite necessary.

If students want to advance from simply being enthusiasts to becoming entry-level trainers who can participate in amateur tournaments, they must learn the doubles rules.

However, even though Chen Mu was looking at Kitamura Yu's confident expression, he still managed to catch a fleeting glimpse of smugness and disdain in the other man's face.

Do you think that the two Pokémon you can field are both in their early stages and therefore you can use them however you want?

"Teacher Chen, have you ever played doubles before? Do you know the rules?" Kitamura Yu asked, pretending to be kind.

"I know a little."

"How many games have you played?" the other person asked again.

At that moment, Chen Mu couldn't help but smile slightly.

The GBA game console, the Switch handheld console, and the NDS dual-screen all seem to be faintly shimmering in my memory right now.

Five generations, ranked battles, Master Ball level!

Countless memories flooded his mind at that moment.

In the end, he simply replied, "I don't remember some of them."